Converting a binary file to hex>>file

[TDQWERTY]

This would be a project to read a binary file such dat files or exe files or even dlls but i found this extremely slow doing it. A 100kb file was taking ~1 minute, 1 mb file..well i gave up and closed the process.
I would like to see this working faster if there is a way to do it..


Option Explicit

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim arItems() As Byte
Dim sText$
Dim sTemp$
Dim i As Double

Open "tmp001.dat" For Binary As #1
ReDim arItems(LOF(1))
Get #1, , arItems
Close #1

For i = LBound(arItems) To UBound(arItems) - 1
sText = sText & Hex(arItems(i))
Next i

Open "hex_output.txt" For Append As #2
For i = 1 To Len(sText) Step 32
sTemp = Mid(sText, i, 32)
Print #2, sTemp
Next i
Close #2

End Sub

[CVMichael]

I never understood this fascination about HEX...

I don't see any purpose whatsoever to convert a file to a HEX file...

I would understand if you want to display the contents in HEX... but converting to another file in HEX, it will make the file size double !

Anyways, the following should be better, but there is still room for improvement:

Dim arItems() As Byte
Dim K As Long, BPos As Long, SPos As Long, FileSize As Long
Dim OutData As String

Open "c:\test.txt" For Binary Access Read As #1
FileSize = LOF(1)
ReDim arItems(FileSize - 1)
Get #1, , arItems
Close #1

OutData = String(FileSize * 2 + (FileSize \ 16) * 2, "-")

BPos = 0
SPos = 1

Do Until BPos + 16 >= UBound(arItems)
For K = 1 To 16
Mid$(OutData, SPos, 2) = Right$("0" & Hex$(arItems(BPos)), 2)

BPos = BPos + 1
SPos = SPos + 2
Next K

Mid$(OutData, SPos, 2) = vbNewLine
SPos = SPos + 2
Loop

For K = 0 To UBound(arItems) - BPos
Mid$(OutData, SPos, 2) = Right$("0" & Hex$(arItems(BPos)), 2)

BPos = BPos + 1
SPos = SPos + 2
Next K

Open "c:\hex_output.txt" For Binary Access Write As #2
Put #2, , OutData
Close #2

[TDQWERTY]

I can explain it better, my idea is to build some sort of program that will allow to write a backup program. This program will be written with default values that i plan to replace. All this heavy work is because i can't have with me all the time a notebook with vb installed to recompile the backup program with diferent values. Also i don't want that ppl change the paramethers or i would make the backup program to use a ini. Some times, ppl who don't know what they are doing, damage the program and then the backups aren't correctly donne. (I'v tryed the ini before and ppl changed/damaged the defenitions).
Now i'm facing a bigger problem. Changing the hex values and writing the executable backup is easy, the hard part is how will i be able to include the huge hexed backup inside the main program...any idea?

[CVMichael]

So, in short what you want to do, is to save some settings, but you don't want the user to be able to modify the settings ?

[TDQWERTY]

exactly.

[CVMichael]

exactly.
Well, if you would have said that from the beginning, it would've been much easier...

Did you consider Encryption ? (I'm the king of encryption :D )
Or to make the file(s) hidden to the user (And ADS file...) ?

[TDQWERTY]

yes, i did, they deleted the ini file :\ i guess that didn't worked very well :(
It's sad to say this but there are ppl that are totaly stupid and can't accept what we tell them, "Do not change anything inside this folder X" - well, they deleted the folder... :(

It would be way simple if all i had to use was one file that they can't touch the configs...

[CVMichael]

Make an ADS file:
VB - How to use Alternate Data Stream files (http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=354205)

Or put your settings in the Registry, and don't use names that are the same as the application name. That way it's more difficult for them to find the keys/values.

[TDQWERTY]

Regestry is out of question, i don't want to use that, it gives me more work to change when i need. The Alternate Data Stream files are a possibility too...and i will probably use it. I didn't knew that method :)

Edit:
Two things that i didn't understood that you said:

But that's not all... you can EXECUTE EXEs from ADS also !
Check this thread:
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=380326
Look at the attachent I have in post #20

Could i also protect the program?
An other question is, could i use a ini file using the ADS method too?
I'm not sure if i understood 100% of what/how it does/it works.. :thumb:

Edit2: Is that considered a virus? :eek: